


The Oracle Ever Delivers

by fictionfinding



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Animal Sacrifice, Blood and Gore, Divination, Family Bonding, Gen, Hardcore Tenebrae Divining Rituals, Haruspicy, Hepatoscopy, Kink Meme, Rituals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 22:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionfinding/pseuds/fictionfinding
Summary: Lunafreya’s bathing in milk and slaughtering a sheep, must be Titansday.





	The Oracle Ever Delivers

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the title. I don’t apologize for the rest of the fic, but quite seriously, this is primarily about the Fleurets killing a sheep and examining its liver for ritual purposes (and the fic isn’t humorous) so if that’s bothersome please just backbutton now.

“Sister,” she heard Ravus speak, feeling the touch of his cool metal arm upon her shoulder as the wind raced through the sylleblossoms at her feet, scattering their soft petals about. Lunafreya tried to compose herself again, having voiced her one desperate wish, gripped as her heart was by the loneliness of her lot as the Oracle. She nonetheless was resigned to her fate, knowing well the importance her position held for the people of Eos.

“Your tears will serve you not, if that is your firm purpose,” her brother said, attempting to comfort her in his own way. “Where go you next?”

Lunafreya brushed her fingers across her eyes, clearing away the half-shed tears and raising her head high as she answered. “Gentiana revealed naught of the path ahead to me, only the end to which it must lead. I have sent her to Noctis that she may serve as his guide through the trials that await him.”

She heard Ravus click his tongue at that, still doubtful of the Chosen King’s worth, but she did not let his disdain interrupt her, continuing on, “With the path shrouded thus, I must consult the haruspices and divine the intent of the Six.”

“Have you begun the fast already?” Ravus asked.

“I have not,” Luna said, with a shake of her head.

“Then I shall have the servants prepare the ritual for dawn tomorrow. Go you now and rest. Leave the arrangements to me,” Ravus said, leaving her and walking towards the great halls of Fenestala Manor.

“Thank you, brother,” Luna said quietly as he retreated. She stooped to pluck a bouquet of sylleblossoms for weaving that evening. In the ancient tradition of Tenebrae she would form the blue strands into a crown-like garland while she fasted all night, purifying herself for the ritual.

When dawn broke, Lunafreya prepared herself, bathing first in the milk of goats to cleanse the outward body as the fasting cleansed the inner. She was then brought her ritual robes, white and flowing as befitting the Oracle, with a girdle woven in a rainbow hue, each colour representing the Astrals in their infinite wisdom and power—gold for the Draconian, blue for the Glacian, silver for the Fulgarian, sea-green for the Hydraean, bronze for the Archaean, flame-red for the Infernian. Her hair was knotted and styled in the old fashion, and she did not flinch as Maria pulled the ivory comb through it to tightly wind it together. She had practiced this ritual many a time since the passing of her mother, and had been fortunate to learn the proper way of it from her when she was still alive. At last Lunafreya was brought the crown of sylleblossoms which was placed gently upon her head.

Lunafreya then rose and walked through the halls of the manor to the pavilion that that overlooked all of Tenebrae, its twelve arches creating a window to every region that delimited the boundaries of the major and minor gods. She sat upon the marble floor carved with symbols of the Astrals and their Messengers, each region filled with magical inscriptions and lore that Lunafreya knew by heart. She sat there as the sun crept over the horizon, meditating until her mind was purged of all that might interfere with the holy ritual—personal desires, regrets, private wishes all expunged to prepare her for the will of the gods.

At last the hour struck and she went with a small procession down to the raised altar before the sylleblossom field, where Ravus and many commoners and attendants waited. There they had brought a mottled sheep with a cleft palate, garlanded with kettier ginger about its throat, its hooves plated with finely pressed gold sheets. The procession about Ravus carried oil lamps and swinging incense baskets upon gilt poles, which emitted the heady scent of Tenebraean Oak produced from the smouldering coals within. One of the family’s oldest retainers beat wooden mallets against the drum that was fastened over his neck with a long sinewy strap. He struck out a rhythm to signal her arrival, knowing well the requirements of the proceedings. Ravus stood in robes matching Lunafreya’s own, for he was her Chief Observer and would deliver the instruments of divining unto her.

She stood before the altar with perfect poise, every aspect prepared to enter into communion with the gods. The drumming receded into silence and she began the ceremony. “Before the eyes of the Astrals, _duces hominum!_ ” she called out and it was echoed to her by those gathered all around. “Under the light of divine Eos, _stellam transcendidam!_ In the boundaries of Tenebrae, _precinctam Oraculorum!_ ”

As the cry died, Lunafreya indicated that the sheep was to be brought forward. It struggled against its lead, bleating as it was guided to the foot of the altar where Lunafreya stood. A servant brought forth a bowl of spiced red wine, standing next to her. Lunafreya dipped her fingers into the bowl as the drum struck out once and she seized the wool on the top of the sheep’s head, letting her thumb dabbed with wine draw a line across its forehead as she declared, “By the power vested in me through the Oracle line, I consecrate this beast in offering to our heavenly forbearers, the all-knowing Astrals, of ways sacred and infinite. Bless us, divinities, with your knowledge and wisdom. This sacrifice we offer you in return, that entering of your holy realm you may feast upon its flesh and spin magnificent garments of its wool. Take this offering and enter into us your knowledge.”

The mallets struck twice upon the drum as they made ready for the next step of the ritual. The sheep was picked up and made to stand upon the altar, its head bent low by the lead around its neck. Ravus came to stand at Lunafreya’s side, bearing the sacred knife that was to cut the boundaries between the realm of humans and that of the Astrals, shepherding the sacrifice to the other side, and opening the way for the wisdom of the gods to be received into the human world. 

He dipped the knife first in the bowl of wine and then took a long cloth bearing the crest of House Fleuret from one of the attendants, using it to wipe off the blade. He then held it over one of the smoking incense pots, as he spoke, “By the ancient laws of Tenebrae, holiest of all lands, let it be carried out.” 

The drummer began a quiet drumroll that gained in speed and intensity as Ravus passed the sanctified dagger to Lunafreya. As the beating reached furious heights, and the sheep’s bleating formed noisy counterpoint as it squirmed against the two attendants holding it fast upon the altar, she again seized the head of the sheep and raised the knife underneath its neck.

“Great Divinities, enter in!” Lunafreya cried out and drew the dagger across the throat of the anointed sheep in a quick motion, a spray of blood following the action, flinging drops of it upon her and Ravus both, staining the white of their garments. The drumming came to an abrupt halt and she let go of the sheep’s head, watching as its blood seeped out upon the smooth stone of the altar, slowly trickling down to their feet. The first step was done. She relinquished the dagger to Ravus who wiped it with the cloth and placed it upon the tray born by one of the attendants which held also the other implements for the ritual. 

The lead upon which the sheep had been brought was unfurled to its full length and slung over the archway above the altar. Once the sheep had been hung up by the line, and much of the blood had drained, Ravus handed her a hooked implement with which she could open the skin. So they proceeded through the ritual, Ravus preparing the tools one by one as Lunafreya made incisions into the body and skin of the sheep, shearing off locks of hair for burning as offering to the Infernian, cutting out the entrails for the feasting of the Hydraean, removing the tongue as a gift to the Fulgarian and so on, until each of the gods had been appeased and welcomed to the banquet. Meanwhile the attendants chanted old songs of sacrifice and divine blessing meant to entice the gods and offer them worship. 

At last they came to the climax of the ritual, and Ravus handed her the knife with intricate magical talismans etched upon its blade. With it she would work upon the sheep’s liver. She reached past the breastbone which she had severed during the proceedings, plucking the liver out from where it rested next to the diaphragm and held it in her left hand while the dagger was clenched in her right. She looked it over first, noting its irregularities. The colour was uniform and the tissue was of the right density to her touch, but she noticed a swelling upon one region.

“There is a contusion in the _Regio Hydraena Maior_ , sloping downward into the _Summa Regio Archaene Maior_ , along the Plane of Hostility,” Lunafreya said to Ravus who signalled that it be written down by the record keeper. She examined it more closely. “A scar exists upon the _Regio Glaciana Minor_ , striking north-east to south-west along the Axis of Revelation. It leaves a bubbled texture on either side in both the Planes of Victory and Disaster.” It was a truly unusual mark to Lunafreya, but she held back her judgement and interpretations until the examination was complete. Ravus peered closely at the marks she had noted, deeming her observations sound. 

Lunafreya began the proper examination of the liver, using the knife to make three incisions into the organ to allow the four lobes to be laid out into the Four Quadrants—the Quadrant of Immortals, the Quadrant of Mortals, the Quadrant of Hindsight, and the Quadrant of Prophesy. Juices ran out from the first incision, trickling leftward from the blade in the direction of Chance from the Plane of Felicity, which she reported quickly to Ravus before continuing her work. When it was cut open within her hands, she turned to examine the first of the arteries that ran through the liver, in the Quadrant of Immortals. The arterial lining was white and there existed build-up in the _Regio Inferniane Minor_ —the region ascribed to the Messengers of Ifrit, marked by an impression that signified the Rock of Ravatogh and its outlying areas. The artery ran north-south along the Axis of Warning to Mankind but at its end suddenly curved down into the _Regio Glaciana Maior_ in the direction of Restoration. 

The second blood vessel, the portal artery, was in the Quadrant of Prophesy, and examining it she found it cut across the _Regio Dracone Minor_ , the region which represented the Messengers of Bahamut and which contained two impressions representing the Ring of Lucis and the Crystal. It followed the Axis of Abnegation, and widened as it passed into the _Summa Regio Hydraena Maior_. All this she shared with Ravus, making further incisions to test the density of the tissue, and the inner colour, but the most vital points had been uncovered. Finally she bestowed the knife once more on Ravus and turned to the attendants gathered round, raising the liver high in the air.

“The gods have accepted our offering and spoken to us great portents. In the coming days Tenebrae will be put to the test, but none in Eos hold in such high reverence the Astrals as we do, and they have given us the signs that we may interpret them and bring all that is good to our land and our star. Go in peace! The Six be praised!”

Shouts of “The Six be praised!” and “Blessed are the gods!” rang out among the crowd.

Lunafreya looked to Ravus as she brought her hand back down and he nodded in approval. It had been long since the two of them had shared in the ceremony. Ravus held out the bloodied, wine-soaked cloth and she placed the liver upon it. He folded it up carefully within, until it was fully wrapped with the stained crest of House Fleuret lying atop in perfect alignment. The liver was given to an attendant to be burned along with the carcass. The two of them stepped forward into the parted waves of the procession, Lunafreya first and Ravus following after, guiding those who were not bound to handling the remains of the ritual back to the manor, the beating of the drum accompanying them.

Upon the conclusion and the dissipation of the procession, which would culminate in a feast that night, Lunafreya returned to her rooms, leaving her crown upon her bedside table and bathing once more (this time with soap and water), then changing into clothes without stain. After so long a fast she partook eagerly of a meal, but no sooner had she finished then she went to the library chambers next to the pavilion of meditation, where the notes of the examination would be stored for interpretation and future record.

She had many passing thoughts as she had conducted the ceremony but had placed them aside to prevent human bias from impeding the expression of the messages of the gods. Now she studied the findings more deeply, and interpreted what they might mean, although the signs of the gods were uncertain work, even to their Oracle. So many of the omens could only be for ill, and even the course that was set before her gave no promise of its success. The signs that concerned the Ring and the Crystal were dark prophesies of Noctis’ fate, but if she could prepare him for what was to come, soliciting the favour of the gods, she might alleviate some of the danger that waited for him in the region of the Draconian. For herself, she could see no such promise.

Long Lunafreya lingered, studying the signs until she found herself simply staring, lost in thought, contemplation broken only by the sound of the door opening behind her.

“What answer found you?” came her brother’s voice as he walked over to where she stood.

She looked at him, knowing sorrowfully that this may, unless the gods were willing, be the last she saw of him as their fates drew them apart. She also knew from the portents that it might not be long after what was to inevitably pass that they both would be reunited, in another sense. She did not speak of this now, and instead answered simply, “All signs point to Altissia, where the Hydraean sleeps. I must go and forge the covenant for Noctis.”

Her brother drew away again but she reached out a hand to his human arm and said, “Leave aside your personal grievances. We are subjects to the will of the gods and they have spoken. The irregularities here suggest,” she said, pausing for a moment as she picked up the paper and held it out to him, “the wrath of the goddess Leviathan will be very great, a slaughter that might only be stopped by the presence of the other divinities. I, as the Oracle, have power not equal to them, yet power I do hold so long as my flesh allows, and my presence might forestall certain calamity.”

“I am your blood,” Ravus said. “Might I not go under some pretence?”

“Dear brother,” Luna said, with a mournful smile. “You know you cannot. It can be no other than me. It is true I fear the destruction that the covenant will bring about, and I know you wish to spare me, but I fear more greatly what will pass if I do not undertake this task. The gods are moving, even those who have not moved in many centuries. Bahamut is awakening, the Infernian draws powerful allies among men and strange beings, Titan and Ramuh have answered my requests, but the remaining three will never be persuaded if the Tidemother falls without acknowledging the Chosen King. With so much left to chance, I must guide this fate to its proper end.”

“Then do as you will,” Ravus said bitterly, turning around and walking to the exit. “I must away before the banquet this evening. My own duty calls.” He paused at the door, hesitating, and a sigh seemed to pass his lips before he spoke with his eyes still turned to the floor. “Tonight, leave a place for me at the table next to yours, that in spirit I might come to take my place in our fair halls, where once we sat as children.”

“Gladly,” Lunafreya said, knowing the years between them could not weaken the happy memories once shared when they were only the young Prince and Princess of Tenebrae, and no dark fate had yet swept upon them. “Gladly might I imagine you there beside me. Farewell, my brother.”

“Farewell.”


End file.
